Jump to full article: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, 2009-02-15
Intro: You've got to give Mike Moser credit. The man has a sense of humor.
While talking about the current state of the proposed ban on smoking in public places in Wyoming -- which the state House has riddled with more holes than fishing net -- the lobbyist for the Wyoming State Liquor Association said: "Our position is that it is a good middle ground."
Right, Mr. Moser. It no doubt is a "good middle ground" for liquor dealers, who are all lathered up about the possibility that they will lose business if the ban is passed. . . .
Making matters worse is that Mr. Moser told a House committee during this session that he has no ties to the tobacco industry. Oops.
Once again efforts to create a healthier state -- to protect innocent bystanders from harmful, even deadly, secondhand smoke -- have been snookered by good old boy lobbyists and lawmakers who trust them more than they trust their own constituents.
The people of Wyoming have said -- in survey after survey -- that they want a statewide ban on smoking in public places.
Yet the best the House could do was to pass a bill that exempts bars and allows local communities and counties to opt out. . . .
Statistics show that 90 adults will die in Wyoming this year from the effects of secondhand smoke. Perhaps Mr. Moser and the tobacco companies don't care about that, but we do, and so do the people of this state. The time will come when a ban will be accepted in Wyoming. Just not this year.
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